Vivendi’s and Radical’s title The Simpsons: Hit & Run (H&R) is a blast to play. Finally a developer has done justice with the Simpson's franchise. Past attempts at developing Simpsons games have been anything but pleasurable or memorable for gaming history (excluding that one arcade game that came out in the early '90s), Simpsons fans finally have a licensed title they can be proud of and which finally thrusts this highly popular series on to the path of gaming glory. Not without some flaws, it is obvious that a sincere effort went into creating H&R that would ultimately provide a fun experience for the player with familiar characters we have seen broadcasted on prime time TV for over more than a decade. The basic concept is so simplistic since it borrows from another tried and true series that every gamer is familiar with.

It's basically GTAIII meets Springfield, but in a less violent and more humorous context. You get to control every Simpson family member except Maggie. Thrown in for good measure you get to play as Apu, your friendly Kwik-E-Mart owner and squishy purveyor extraordinaire. Each character has a set number of missions to accomplish within their level, and some bonus missions thrown in for extra oomph. You run the gamut from chasing and destroying other vehicles, to being coerced into running errands for other fellow Springfieldians. Most of the missions are time based. The game provides an excellent system of directing you where to go and who to meet (if applicable) for the next task, so you’ll never find yourself lost or wondering where to go next to continue the story. When you have completed a mission (or tasks as they are referred to in the game) you can either continue on to the next task or you can leisurely free-roam around Springfield. There are extra goodies to find that are scattered throughout town, or you can compete in several different mini-games such as racing against other characters like little Ralph Wiggum or the bully Nelson through the streets of Springfield. The only gripe some may find is that the gameplay is rather simplistic, and can start to feel repetitive for each character's missions. Basically you’ll find yourself performing similar tasks only with different objectives such as running down other cars and having to collect what they drop, or racing to reach a location before another character does.

Just like in GTAIII you are able to jack cars right off of the good ol’ streets of Springfield. And what’s better, you don’t have to worry about the occasional cop driving by to catch you. All is not without repercussions, however. The game works on a "hit and run" meter system that gauges your “violence.” If your meter gets too high it will start to flash and you’ll hear a warning siren to alert your actions are dangerously close to alerting the cops to your behavior. Every object and person you hit causes the meter to fill up incrementally; continue with reckless behavior and you’ll trigger the “Hit and Run” mode. You get a warning on screen and you’ll hear sirens coming fastly approaching to your location. If you get caught you’ll be fined for some of your coins and sent on your merry way. Successfully avoid the cops during this time and you’ll eventually be forgotten. There may be no stars that gradually increase your wantedness in this game nor are there any FBI agents in helicopters, but the cops of Springfield are pretty ruthless and fast and will not hesitate to try and knock your vehicle out of commission with extreme prejudice. Maybe that's the result of living in a small, suburbia town for too many years.

On the other hand wanton, destructive behavior is a necessity in the game since anything and everything you destroy, save for pedestrians, rewards you with a certain amount of coins. Coins are needed to buy things in the game. From such frivolous items as alternate costumes for your characters to wear, to bigger things like other vehicles. Sometimes to complete a specific mission you will need a certain outfit or a certain vehicle. So don’t be stingy in spending your coins since hoarding and saving them pays holds no benefit in the end.

Each character has their own vehicle they are most proficient at driving with. As mentioned before you can steal any car you see in Springfield and each one has its own handling attributes, but it’s best to stick with the car your character is best at driving. There are also bonus vehicles available for purchase such as Grampa’s old WWII jeep. You get awarded this vehicle after you help collect bags of blood for Grampa. On a few missions some vehicles will serve you better than others. For instance, in missions where you need to destroy another vehicle you will need a vehicle that has a high “Toughness” rating so it can endure repeated battering, etc. Your vehicles are not immune to damage or complete destruction, however, and they will incur cumulative damage over a period of time especially if you are crashing into everything. This is remedied by finding and collecting wrenches scattered throughout the levels which instantaneously repair any damage incured.

H&R provides an immersive virtual world for the player to explore. Players will not have full access to the entirety of Springfield, rather, each new character they play is placed in a different section of the city as well as at a different time of day. The game does a wonderful job of reflecting the unique, cartoony visual flair that The Simpsons is famous for. The only problem I noticed were the apparent clipping issues that run rampant throughout the game. Coins become mysteriously lodged in walls, characters can sometimes walk right through parts of their vehicles, etc. While it appears extremely sloppy sometimes, it's a minor flaw that can be easily overlooked. The character models themselves are lively and rendered decently, and are reminiscent of that one and only episode that featured the Simpsons in actual full 3D.

The sounds come alive in Springfield. From simple traffic passing by running unknown errands, to one of Professor Frink’s bumbling inventions, everything has its place and is represented well. Each main character is voiced by the original actor/actress, as well as all secondary characters that we’ve come to know and love. The Comic Book Guy will sneer and chide you in his comic book shop while Professor Frink will spew his paranoid scientific jargon about Truck-O-Saurus running amok. Your main characters will also throw out little quips and quotes and one-liners while navigating the streets of Springfield. Of course it wouldn’t be complete without that infamous theme we all know by heart. If you are one of the three people that don't know it you will after playing this game as it is featured extensively in varying forms. Matt Groening was behind the helm in helping create the game's script. You are getting the real deal with A+ episode quality acting and typical Simpsons humor. The plot line is pushed forward intermittently after each level is completed with CG cut scenes which complement both the graphics and aural quality the game has to offer.

Although the game follows a linear path and is mission based there is a fair amount of replay value. You can tackle the game the first time around and just play the missions to complete the game, then you can go back and take some time to explore and try to find and collect all the hidden trading cards strewn throughout each level. You can also go back to find all the hidden gags that serious Simpson fans will appreciate, purchase all the costumes and cars, or you can simply drive around and see how much havoc you can create while dodging the cops à la GTA style. At the end of each level you get a stat screen that shows the various things you completed/collected. There is quite a lot to accomplish in this game besides just completing the missions and beating the game.

H&R finally does The Simpsons license justice. It may have had to rely on a formula that some may argue has already had its time in the limelight, but it is a formula that is applied and fits well to this particular title. Everything you know and love about The Simpsons is here. If you’ve been patiently awaiting a good Simpsons game your wait is over. The humor is spot on, the writing, the gags; the overall atmosphere is just rolling in Simpson's culture. For anyone that considers themselves a Simpson's fan this is definitely a must-have game in your library.